Best Small Car 2021: Comfort and convenience
Buying a premium small car doesn’t mean all the mod-cons and ‘nice to haves’ are included as standardYou'd like to think the top-spec model grade of a popular small hatch will come with all those little luxuries that make the extra spend worth it. While all the cars on test have nice touches like power-folding heated side mirrors, other premium features such as leather seat trim and active cruise control are not necessarily standard. Being equipped with all those nice-to-haves can make a big difference to the ownership of any car, yet some of the contenders for Best Small Car 2021 fall surprisingly short in this area.
Our decision to test hatchback variants for carsales’ Best Small Car 2021 naturally brings convenience to the fore when you consider that all models on test have a tailgate and split/folding rear seatbacks that allow large or bulky items to be easily stowed.
The Hyundai i30 also now comes in sedan form – which is a bigger vehicle based on the new Elantra sold overseas, rather than simply being a booted version of the hatch – while the Mazda3, Subaru Impreza and Toyota Corolla are also available as four-door sedans.
Almost all contenders on test here are front wheel-drive only – the exception being the Impreza, which is exclusively all-wheel drive.
Large alloy wheels are standard everywhere you look, with the Ford Focus ST-Line and Honda Civic RS running on 17-inch alloys with 50-series tyres and the remainder on 18-inch wheels with either 40- or 45-profile tyres.
Buyers intending to do lots of country kilometres should note that none of the premium variants in this group come with a full-size spare wheel. Thankfully, they all have a temporary-use spare tyre, and not just a puncture/inflation kit.
Rear privacy glass is included for all but the Hyundai i30 N Line Premium, Kia Cerato GT and Mazda3 G25 Astina, while a glass sunroof is standard on only the Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda and Subaru.
The latter is optionally available on the Ford, as well as the Skoda Scala Signature and Volkswagen Golf R-Line, which leaves the Toyota Corolla ZR hatch as the only model on test without a sunroof either as standard or for extra cost. For the record, the equivalent Corolla sedan gets one.
All have auto-dipping high-beam headlight functionality except the Subaru Impreza. And you’d think rain-sensing wipers would be a given at this level, but the Kia Cerato surprisingly misses out.
Keyless entry and start is par for the course across all models on test, although only the Ford Focus ST-Line offers remote starting as part of the FordPass Connect system that’s fitted standard (see our Technology section).
Power-folding and heated external mirrors are also standard for all models, but only the Mazda and Subaru have an automatic-dipping left mirror for extra assistance when reversing.
Only the Mazda3 and the Skoda Scala have an auto-dimming driver’s door mirror to reduce glare from following cars’ headlights, but all have an auto-dimming interior rear-vision mirror.
Just the Mazda and the Toyota have a head-up display, although it’s available as part of the optional Sound and Vision pack for the Volkswagen. And only the Scala and the Golf have full TFT colour digital display instrument clusters.
The Ford Focus ST-Line is the only one not equipped with active cruise control (ACC) – it’s an option – while of the rest only Hyundai, Mazda, Toyota and Volkswagen lay claim to having a stop-and-go function for their ACC systems.
All have an auto hill-hold function and almost all of them have an electronic park brake, the exception being the Skoda which has a traditional hand brake.
When it comes time to park, just the Skoda and Volkswagen offer the convenience of park assist, and the VW offers this feature not only for parallel parking but also for parking bays.
We can all get distracted in stop-start traffic at times, but only the Kia and the Subaru offer a leading vehicle departure alert to let you know the car ahead has moved off.
A powered tailgate might be a regular sight in a similarly priced premium small SUV, but here in the hatchbacks it’s only offered in the Skoda, albeit with just a power button on the dash or tailgate, not with gesture control.
Leather upholstery is standard in the Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda and Subaru, while the Skoda and Toyota each have a leather/suede seat covering combo (or ‘Suedia’ as it’s called in the Skoda).
The Ford and Volkswagen don’t offer leather seat trim at all – it’s cloth (with red stitching) in the Focus and microfleece in the Golf.
Power adjustment for the driver’s seat is standard in all but the Ford and Volkswagen, while of the rest that have this feature only the Kia, Mazda and Subaru have seat position memory.
Among these candidates, everything but the Ford and Volkswagen has heated front seats. The Hyundai and Kia are the only ones that add front seat ventilation, while the Skoda is the only model on test with heated rear seats.
If a heated steering wheel is a must-have, then your only choice among these contenders is the Mazda3.
Rear air-vents are standard in the Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Skoda and Volkswagen, with the latter the only one here to also include rear air-conditioning controls.
A rear centre arm rest is fitted to all but the Focus and Scala.
Best Small Car 2021 contenders:
Ford Focus ST-Line
Honda Civic RS
Hyundai i30 N Line Premium
Kia Cerato GT
Mazda3 G25 Astina
Skoda Scala Signature
Subaru Impreza 2.0i-S
Toyota Corolla ZR
Volkswagen Golf R-Line
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